Jasper a perfect setting for military hero’s wedding to Edmonton nurse

Newlyweds Kelsey and Adam Mramor jump for joy following their nuptials last fall at the Jasper Airfield.

Photograph by: A Different Angle Photography

EDMONTON - The angel that divined the introduction between Adam Mramor and Kelsey Ross was also in the cockpit of the Chinook helicopter he piloted several months later when it was shot out of the sky by Taliban forces in Afghanistan. She was present a year later during the marriage proposal, when Adam sank to one knee in the snow near Kelsey’s parents’ cabin on Christmas Eve day. And she most certainly made her presence known at the couple’s outdoor wedding ceremony in Jasper this fall, providing a majestic backdrop that could only be described as heaven-sent.

“We got married on Thanksgiving,” says Kelsey, 28. “We thought it was fitting because we have so much to be grateful for: friends, family, freedom, our lives together — and the fact Adam returned home safely from Afghanistan.”

Only weeks before the attack, the couple had reunited in Ireland during a break in his deployment. They spent three weeks driving through the beautiful countryside, kayaking, biking, surfing and dining on rich pub food.

It was their mutual passion for active living that brought them together in the first place, in the summer of 2009.

Well, that and a bit of divine intervention.

At the time, she was a registered nurse at the Stollery, and also coached youth karate classes evenings and weekends. He was a pilot in the Canadian military, and had just moved from White Rock to Edmonton to join the 408th squadron at the Edmonton Garrison. It was a busy time for both of them, but it was lonely, too.

They decided to throw caution to the wind, and wound up joining the same online dating site.

Cue the angel.

There was no mistaking the chemistry between them during their first coffee date, so making the decision to get together again was a no-brainer. Their first “real date” happened a few days later when they took their bikes — and a picnic lunch Adam packed himself — to Elk Island National Park.

The conversation was non-stop. They talked about their jobs, their families, the things they liked to do. He was into rugby, soccer, running and mountain-biking. She was into karate, squash and swimming. Both were extremely close to their families.

“We totally hit it off on that first date,” says Kelsey.

Their schedules made it difficult to get together, but they eked out time for lunch dates, and spent hours talking on the phone. They even managed to attend a few hockey games at Rexall when the Vancouver Canucks were in town, each cheering loudly for their team.

Over the next few months, they became inseparable.

Their emotions for each other were intense, made more so by the pre-deployment training which took Adam away from Edmonton at least half of the time — and which would ultimately take him to Afghanistan, at the time one of the most dangerous places in the world.

A few weeks following their romantic rendezvous in Ireland, on Aug. 5, 2010, Kelsey awoke to news that a Chinook helicopter had been shot down by enemy fire while on a mission in the Panjwaii district. Her heart stopped. A few hours later, the call came that both confirmed her worst fears and made her weak at the knees with relief. It was Adam, calling from the hospital in Kandahar. It was his helicopter that had been shot down, but he was OK, he told her, other than being stiff and sore.

Adam had maintained control of the helicopter after it was hit. He managed to make an emergency landing that saved the lives of all aboard. His heroics were recognized a month later when he received the MID, or Mention in Dispatches, an insignia awarded to members of the Canadian Forces for valiant conduct and devotion to duty.

Despite the crash, Adam continued flying missions over the next four months and completed his tour of duty.

The stiffness and soreness he first experienced grew worse over time, but he soldiered on. What he came to realize was that even though he didn’t suffer any fractures, his body had absorbed the entire impact of the crash. The soft-tissue damage was extensive, as was the damage to the muscles in his back. When he returned home, he was still experiencing incredible pain, and unable to do a lot of the things he loved.

For the next year, instead of running or biking, the couple went for walks, cooked together and took their new puppy — named Chinook — to obedience classes.

“We put our entire focus on Adam’s rehabilitation,” says Kelsey.

Once that was established, they turned their attention to each other. Adam’s Christmas Eve proposal was a turning point in his recovery, and in their lives together.

The outdoor ceremony at the Jasper Airfield more than four months ago was everything they imagined it to be, and then some.

While the day dawned bright and sunny, clouds began forming over the mountains as the ceremony drew closer, causing more than a few worried glances skyward. The rain held off through the ceremony, though, and even through the picture-taking afterward.

It was only when the last photograph was taken, and the couple started making their way back to the hotel, that they felt the first raindrops on their face.

“And even then,” says Kelsey. “It wasn’t like it poured or anything. It was a soft rain, really more of a sprinkle.”

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